Improved shoe-shanking



` TIMOTHY K. REED, OF EAST BRIDGEVVATER,MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVE@ SHOE-SHANKlNG.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. di' dated September18,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY K. REED, of East Bridgewater, county ofPlymouth, State of lllassachusetts, have invented an .lin provement inthe lllanufacture of Shoe-Shanking; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany andform part of this specification, is a description of my inventionsutlicient to enable those. skilled in the art to practice it.

This invention relates, principally, to the production of what is knownto shoe 1nanufacturers as shoe-shanking, or strips of leather scarfed onthe opposite edges, and generally of trapezoidal form, each piece havinga wide and narrow end and one long side, the long side being uponopposite edges ofthe respective pieces for right and left boots orshoes.

A s usually made each `piece is cut oft from a strip of leather orleather-board and subsequently scarfed; and the object of my inventionis to so out the stock that in forming the scarf for one piece the cutforms the adjacent scarf for the next piece, all the material `thusentering into the formation of the shanking, and enabling me to produceat least twenty per cent. more from the samematerial than by the usualprocess.

The invention consists in so arranging a knife or knives in reference tobed and gage pieces that, by turning the stock after each action oftheknife, or by carrying it from one l knife to another, the successivecuts shall be in alternately angular directions across the lmaterial 5also, in so arranging two bed-pieces with reference to a knife workingin connection with each that the chaniferingor scarfin g cuts arealternately made by the two knives at opposite angles to the edge ofthestock 5 also, in the details of arrangement of the mechanism by whichthe work is performed.

The drawings represent a mechanism einbodying my invention, A showingaside elevation, and B a plan of the cutters, gages, beds,

&c.

a denotes a table supporting twolong bedpieces, b 0,1:l1e bed b beinghorizontal and the bed o inclined, a-s seen at A. Each bed has avertical side Wall, d. At a short distance from the front end of each ofthese walls is a vertical upright, e, placed at a distance laterally asrespects the wall d equal to the thickness of the material to be cut upand made laterally adjustable to suit the thickness of different piecesof stock, the stock being run through between these walls or guides forthe aciion of vertically-reciprocating knives.

j'fare two shafts slidin vertically through tubes or bearings g theybeing connected through a cross-piece, h, to a treadle or other suitablemechanism, by which they are recipro cated vertically. At their upperends these shafts are connected by a cross-head, from which depend twopairs of cuttenstocks, t', each pair of which carries a knife, 7c, whichplays vertically between the wall d and up; right e on the saine side ofthe machine, the knife being sct at a horizontal angle with 'respect to`the wall and upright, as seen at B. Each knife is made with avertically-inclined cutting-edge, so that in its descent it shalloperate with a drawing cut, and the edge is preferably ground from theoutside of the plate toward the inner surface thereof. Beneath eachknife and in line with each bed-piece b c is a 'block,`l, havin a sawkerf or slot, u, into which the knife descends, and on the outer side ofeach upright eis a stop or gage, m.

`The strip of stock is rst placed on the horizontalbed b, with one longedge on the bed, and one surface held against the wall d. It is thenthrust through between the Wall and upright e until the end strikes thestop or gage m, the opposite surface bein gsu1 ported against the outersurface of the upright. The knife is then brought down and cuts throughthe stock at an angle corresponding with the angular position of theknife or the angle desired in the scarf, the cut being at a right angleto the edge supported on the bed. The stock is then carried across tothe inclined bed, and the same edge and opposite surface supported bysaid bed `and its Wall, with the end thrust through between the wall andupright and against the stop m. tween this Wall andupright 4being thenop` erated, the stock will be cut through at an angle with the ed gesupported on the bed, and with a chamfer running in an oppositedirection to the one cut by the opposite knife. The stock is thenshifted to the first knife, and the repetition of thescoperations cuts`the stock into the shankin g, as represented at (l, which shows asurface view and a section of the piece of The knife playing be' out theopposite scarts or chamfers.

stock cut, the red lines showing the direetion of cut.

To vary the amount of inclination of the inclined side with reference tothe straight or right-angular side, the bed c is made adjust able byset-screws and slots, as seen at r, so that it may be set at anyrequired inclination; and to vary the Width of scarf on each piece ofshankin-g one stock in each pair of Cutterstocks is made capable ofswinging and of being iXed in position by means of screws and slots o,so as to alter the angle of presentation of the knife.

To alter the width of the shankin g the stops m are made movable andadjustable by means of screws and slots 19, and .the uprights e are mademovable and adjustable for stock of varying thickness by screws andslots, as seen at q.

It Will be obvious that when the opposite sides or searts are'to bev cutparallel one knife and bed only may be employed, the stock being turnededge for edge after eaeh cut; or two knives and beds may be employed,both beds being horizontal, or both may be inclined in oppositedirections, the stock being shifted from one bed to the otherwithoutturning to It will also be obvious that the arrangement of the knivesand bed-pieces may be varied Without departing from the spirit of myinvention,

which is in so combining aknii'e or knives with guides or bed-pieces forsupporting the stock in position that all the material is utilized byentering into the formation ot' the shanking, substantially as setforth.

The Wall and upright upon each side may be placed at such distance apartas to admit of the entrance of two or more strips of stock lside byside, to be cut simultaneously, as will be readily understood.

I claim- 1. So combining andjarranging a knife or knives and bed andguide pieces that in scart'- ing one edge of each piece of the shankingthe opposite scarf of the next piece is formed thereby, substantially asset forth.

2. Combining with a bed which holds the stock in position to be entsquare or at one angle to its Vsupported edge a bed which supports thestock in position to be ont at an angle to thewoppositc side,substarnially as described.

3. Conjointly and specifically the provision i for cutting stock ofvarious thicknesses and into various Widths, for scariing the materialto a greater or less degree, and for inelining one ot' the scarfed edgesmore or less, all substan-` tiall y as specified.

T. K/REED Witnesses:

J. R. PERKINS, HENRY SoU'rnWoR-rn.

